© Author: Xabier Sáenz de Gorbea • Editor: General Office of Turist Promotion • Design and photographs: Sonia Rueda • Printing: Flash Composition S.L. • Legal deposit: BI-2701-07 1. Jesús Lizaso (1961) “Amatxo” (Mother) (2002) 2. Manuel Basterra (1882-1947) Monument to José Mª de Acha (1931) 3. Ricardo Iñurria (1908-1995) Bust of Alberto del Palacio Elissague (1956) 4. Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) Monument to Evaristo Churruca (1919-1939) 5. Higinio Basterra (1876-1957) Tribute to Darío Regoyos (1926) 6. Vicente Larrea (1934) “Algorta Two” (1999) 7. Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) Pantheon of the Valle family 8. Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) Pantheon of the Diliz family (1914) 9. Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) Pantheon of the Salvadora Cortina family (1912) 10. Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) Pantheon of the family of Emilio Basagoiti (1918) 11. Jose Ramón Carrera (1935) “Vindication of the pelota court” (1975) 12. Néstor Basterretxea (1924) “Biscay, a Wave of Iron” (1989) 13. Vicente Larrea (1934) “Reredos of Freedom” (1989-90) 14. Anonymous Tribute to Eugenio Gutiérrez Salazar (2002) 15. Rob Krier (1938) Untitled (1990-1991) 16. Néstor Basterretxea (1924) “Leioako indarra” (The Force of Leioa) (2001) 17. Jorge Oteiza (1908-2003) “Proposamen dinamikoa / Dynamic Proposition” (2002) 18. José Ramón Anda (1949) “Besarkada” (Embrace) (2005) 3. ESKUINALDEA A great many works of public art can be observed on the right bank of the river estuary. The municipalities of Erandio, Leioa and Getxo are well furnished with sculptures, from the past and present, not only from the first half of the 20th century but also more recent. The work by Rob Krier (1938) is an international ex- ception. Basque sculptors from the first half of the twentieth century are well represented by Higinio Basterra (1876-1957), Manuel Basterra (1882-1947), Ricardo Iñurria (1908-1995) and Miguel García de Sala- zar (1877-1959) from Algorta, who has an important number of works in this area. The Basque post-war school movement is excellently represented by Jorge ESKUINALDEA Oteiza (1908-2003), Néstor Basterretxea (1924), Vice- nte Larrea (1934) and Jose Ramón Carrera (1935). In- debted to them are the authors of the following gen- eration, such as José Ramón Anda (1949) and Jesús Lizaso (1961). The motifs of the works are very varied. There are inter- esting funerary pantheons. Some public monuments, like those that acknowledge the work of the engineer Churruca, the painter Darío Regoyos, the sports per- sonality José Mª Atxa or the architect Alberto del Pala- cio. There are also good example of the sense of inno- vation and avant-garde research, situated between the autonomy of plastic art and a connotative nature. 1 Jesús LIZASO (1961) This is a constructivist work in Corten steel, based on very simple geometrical shapes. But it also has some iconic references that endow it with the condition of a figurative statue. This impression is confirmed by its title. “Amatxo” (Mother) is situated opposite the church in La Campa Erandio. A location that gives it the sense of a religious image representing the Virgin and Child. The author is Jesús Liz- aso (1961). The sculpture was made in 2002 and has a variant that can be seen in the centre of Mungía. ESKUINALDEA Erandio “Amatxo” (Mother) (2002) 2 Manuel BASTERRA (1882-1947) This is a work that originally stood in the no-longer- existing Ibaiondo sports stadium, where the pedestal supported a bronze bust which is currently in Go- belas, in the football ground of Arenas C.F. The base now stands in a small garden in Leioa, between the blocks of dwellings that form the corner with the av- enue of Santa Ana and Erribitarte. The inscription: TO JOSÉ Mª D ACHA can be read on the front. Below, the rhomboidal high relief of a football, with the coat of arms of Bizkaia in the middle, hitting the goal net. Rep- resenting a goal being scored, it alludes to the good management of Atxa when leading the Biscayan Foot- ball Federation. On the rear is a sculpture of a football and, in the centre, two hands being shaken in greeting and the legend “D UNIÓN CLUBS LIGA” below. This re- fers to the organisation created at the request of José María Atxa, who promoted the First Division League championship. On each of the sides is an octagonal medallion. The one on the right bears an illustration of two men pulling on a rope in order to pull down a tree and a date: 8 - XII - 1924. The one of the left has the in- scription KICK-OFF and the date 13 - IX – 1925 framing a bas relief that represents a ceremonial kick-off. The monument was created by Manuel Basterra (1882-1947) and inaugurated with great pomp in 1931. ESKUINALDEA Leioa Monument to José Mª de Acha (1931) 3 Ricardo IÑURRIA (1908-1995) The Puente de Vizcaya is a transporter bridge that conveys people and vehicle from one side of the riv- er estuary to the other, between Portugalete and Las Arenas, the district of Getxo where the machinery is located. It was inaugurated on 28 July 1893, is the old- est transporter bridge in the world, and is still fully op- erational. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2006, the structure is 45 metres high and 160 metres long. The bridge allows the river to be navigable, thanks to the gondola that moves suspended from a travelling car- riage on the upper deck. According to UNESCO, it is “a perfect combination of functionality and aesthetic beauty, in an exceptional expression of technical crea- tivity”. It was the brainchild of Alberto del Palacio Elis- sague (1856-1939) who relied on Ferdinand Arnodin (1845-1924) to build it. The bust in tribute to the great Basque architect stands in a small garden beside this great triumphal arch of industrialisation. The piece was carried out by Ricardo Iñurria Arzubide (1908-1995). The pedes- tal is made of stone and the head is bronze. It measures 270 x 67 x 67 and was inaugurated in 1956. ESKUINALDEA Getxo Bust of Alberto del Palacio Elissague (1956) 4 Miguel G. DE SALAZAR (1877-1959) The monument to Evaristo Churruca (1841-1917) in Las Arenas was designed by Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959) in 1919, although its inauguration was de- layed until 1939. It consists of a high lighthouse-tower, around which a forceful bronze sculptural group is scattered, symbolising man’s struggle against the sea. The subject is expressed through the tense effort of a figure pushing a huge stone slab held up with dif- ficulty by one leg of Neptune, the mythological god of the sea. The seated statue of the person receiving the tribute presides over it from above and faces the sea. As the bronze plaque placed at the foot of the monu- ment in Las Arenas states, «in the centenary struggle of the City of Bilbao with the sea, he was the one who achieved the final victory, a century-old yearning of the Consulate (a precursor of the Chamber of Commerce). With his brilliant work he gave the estuary a new chan- nel, seafarers safety and universal category to this port, an original model of classicism». In addition to the coats of arms of Bilbao, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, there are allegories on the sides representing industry and shipping. The ensemble is emphatic and solemn and is made up of a set of highly dynamic statues. ESKUINALDEA Getxo Monument to Evaristo Churruca (1919-1939) 4 Miguel G. DE SALAZAR (1877-1959) ESKUINALDEA Getxo Monument to Evaristo Churruca (1919-1939) 4 Miguel G. DE SALAZAR (1877-1959) ESKUINALDEA Getxo Monument to Evaristo Churruca (1919-1939) 5 Higinio BASTERRA (1876-1957) Darío Regoyos (1857-1913) was an important Asturian painter who decided to live and work in various towns in the Basque Country, including Getxo. He found the ideal light here that allowed him to search for chromat- ic nuances in nature. The monument to his memory was inaugurated in September 1926 in the district of Neguri, very close to the Town Hall. The simple lines of the bench are like an embrace and were carried out by the architect Manuel Mª Smith (1879-1956). The medal- lion is due to Higinio Basterra (1876-1957), who know ESKUINALDEA Getxo Regoyos early in the 20th century. The relief captures the face of the artist from Ribadesella with vibratile modelling consistent with his features. It uses resunk- en planes, has a minimum thickness and manages to give the work expressiveness and apparent volume. The model of the commemorative bench was also fol- lowed in the tribute to another modern artist, the paint- er Adolfo Guiard (1860-1916), which was inaugurated the same year in Bilbao. Tribute to Darío Regoyos (1926) 6 Vicente LARREA (1934) The matter is thin but twists and has the energetic force of a giant plant. It is called “Algorta dos” (Algorta Two) and was inaugurated in 1999. A structure which, from its skilful geometric abstraction, acts as a trunk, around which the organic world seems to climb up by entan- gling itself. The sculpture was created by Vicente Larrea (1934) and is locat- ed beside the Algorta metro station. ESKUINALDEA Getxo “Algorta Two” (1999) 7 Miguel G. DE SALAZAR (1877-1959) The Valle family pantheon is a work by Miguel García de Salazar (1877-1959). It consists of a statue settled on some organic rocks. Angels protect men, are mes- sengers from God and guides who intercede on behalf of the deceased. They are asexual beings with long hair and large asymmetrical wings that show strength and temperance.